The Portland Museum of Art is once again partnering with MOFGA for a series of events about growing programs and issues in our communities. All events take place in the Bernard Osher Foundation Auditorium and are free for PMA and MOFGA members ($10 for the general public).

March 26The Hidden World of Bees & Pollination
6:30 p.m.
Hear Christy Hemenway from Gold Star Bees, Heather Spalding, MOFGA Deputy Director, and Fedco Seeds founder, C.R. Lawn, talk about our pollinators and the national and local issues that concern them and our food supply. Maine honey and mead tasting to follow.

April 4Inside the Portland Food Co-op
11:00 a.m.
Food co-ops are nationally on the rise. Learn why these organizations are so integral to a sustainable community and about the Portland Food Co-op’s unique mission to serve the community.

Organic and Sustainable Agriculture News

Fresh food without the hassleKennebec Journal - 2/28/2011.By Mechele Cooper – Hallowell – David Young liked the idea of eating fresh produce without the hassle of caring for a garden. He had heard from friends about community supported agriculture in which farms offer shares of their crops to members who pay in advance for the growing season.

LePage using ‘junk science’ not ‘sound science’Kennebec Journal - 2/28/2011.Gail Carlson – In his proposed environmental rollbacks, Gov. Paul LePage is trying to give the impression that he has science on his side, which could not be further from the truth. For example, regarding the Department of Environmental Protection rule to phase out Bisphenol A in children's products, LePage claims the scientific studies he has seen do not support a BPA ban. He must not be looking very hard, because I know about hundreds of independent, peer-reviewed studies on the negative health impacts of BPA.

Lovers of local food find reason to dreamPortland Press Herald - 2/28/2011.By Glenn Jordan – Portland: Jessie Grearson of Falmouth, along with her husband and their two daughters, spent a sizable chunk of Sunday morning shoveling snow. But for a few hours Sunday afternoon, Grearson forgot all about ice and snow and winter worries. Walking around inside the Woodfords Congregational Church, Grearson and her family met with two dozen local farmers. They spoke of tomatoes and planting seeds and about sharing in a bountiful local harvest.

6:30 p.m., Bernard Osher Foundation Auditorium, Portland Museum of Art. Hear Christy Hemenway from Gold Star Honeybees, Heather Spalding, MOFGA deputy director, and Fedco Seeds founder CR Lawn talk about our pollinators and the national and local issues that concern them and our food supply. Maine honey and mead tasting to follow. A Community Collaboration between Portland Museum of Art and MOFGA. Free for PMA and MOFGA members ($10 for the general public). Schedule and details.

6 to 9 p.m. Classes held in locations throughout Maine to give gardeners the skills and knowledge to transition from conventional to organic gardening. Registration: typically $5 to cover handouts. Information with class locations.

Locations: Common Ground Education Center in Unity with Jen Ries, or College of the Atlantic in Mount Desert with C.J. Walke. Learn to propagate and reproduce your favorite fruit tree varieties. Participants graft trees to take home and plant. $50 per person. Information and registration.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., East Sangerville Grange. Presented in partnership by East Sangerville Grange, Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District, and Maine Highlands MOFGA Chapter. Speakers will cover topics of interest to both gardeners and commercial farmers. Doors open at 9:30. Light lunch will be provided. For directions go to www.grange.org/eastsangervilleme177/ or call Erin Callaway at 343-0171. RSVPs appreciated to make lunch planning easier.

9 a.m. to the afternoon, MOFGA’s Maine Heritage Orchard in Unity. We'll start with a demonstration on how to plant a tree. All ages are welcome. Bring a shovel, lunch, friends and kids. No charge. FMI: MOFGA.org or apples@mofga.org.